# Age of Consent **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 15, 2002, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/age-of-consent/98435 "2002-03-15T07:21:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/age-of-consent/98435/1 "2002-03-15T07:21:17Z")
I’m slightly confused as to how the Age of Consent laws work. Here in Texas the AOC is 17, which means that someone 18 or over can have sex with people only 17 or older (assuming hetero relationship). However, if someone is 17, could they have sex with someone who is 16? Or would that be illegal? Or is the AOC some type of pseudo-loop hole in which the persons of that age can legally have sex with all ages? Furthermore, looking around, I find that the AOC in Missouri is 14. Does this mean a 60 year old man could legally have sex with a 15 or even 14 year old girl? 😕 Hope someone could clear all this up for me. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/age-of-consent/98435/2 "2002-03-15T08:26:36Z")
It’s my understanding that both (or all five :D) sexual participants must be above the age of consent. Otherwise, a 17-year-old could have sex with a 7-year-old, which would render the AOC law fairly useless. To answer your second question, yes. I think here in Hawaii it’s also 14 (or was it 15?), so the scenario you describe would be legal. I’m sure the teen’s parents wouldn’t be thrilled about it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/age-of-consent/98435/3 "2002-03-15T08:49:05Z")
Go to [www.ageofconsent.com](http://www.ageofconsent.com), it has the age of consent for every state and most nations, as well as the actual laws on the books in many cases. Many states allow people under the age of consent to have sex with each other legally as long as they are within a certain age range, or reduce it to a lesser offense. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/age-of-consent/98435/4 "2002-03-15T15:28:37Z")
It really depends on the state Daoloth. If you could narrow it down to just one state, perhaps I could try to explain that states’ laws. In California it is 18. In my opinion, one reason for this is to discourage kids from having sex so that tax payers don’t have to pay for the kids born to underage children. I once looked up California AOC laws, but the laws were very complex. ---
**Author:** ![Boobka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Boobka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boobka)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/age-of-consent/98435/5 "2002-03-15T16:26:11Z")
For TEXAS, > [@](#): > > Section 22.011 (a) (2) of the Texas Penal Code provides that a person who has sexual relations with a child younger than 17 years of age is guilty of Sexual Assault. Under this section of the Penal Code, “sexual relations” may include conventional sexual intercourse, oral sex, anal sex and/or oral-anal sex. > > The most important thing to note about this criminal statute is that it does not actually require any assault to take place. Thus, an adult who has consensual sex with a child under 17 years of age is guilty of Sexual Assault, even if the child was the one who initiated the sexual encounter. In addition, it is not a defense to prosecution that the adult mistakenly believed that the child was 17 years of age or older. > > This statute does not apply if the adult and child engaging in sexual conduct are legally married. Also, if an adult who has sexual relations with a child can show that the child was 14 years of age or older at the time of the encounter, and that the adult is no more than three years older than the child, he or she cannot be convicted under this statute. There is another statute that states this much clearer but I have looked for about 23 minutes and can’t find it right now, but I have found it before 😃 ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/age-of-consent/98435/6 "2002-03-16T00:43:29Z")
Texas? Ah easy: WHAT IS THE AGE WITH PARENTAL CONSENT IN TEXAS? [Texas parental marriage consent laws] Male: 14 ? parental consent and/or permission of judge required. Below age of consent parties need parental consent and permission of judge, no younger than 14 for males and 13 for females. Female: 14 ? parental consent and/or permission of judge required. Below age of consent parties need parental consent and permission of judge. No younger than 14 for males and 13 for females. [http://family-law.freeadvice.com/tx\_parental\_consent.htm](http://family-law.freeadvice.com/tx_parental_consent.htm)